Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Vintage Style: My Fashionable Family in Hats

I have so many family photos that I am just dying to share with you all. The people in my old family photos certainly seem fashionably keen, so much so that I don't know if it was just a reflection of the times or if it was really just that I have some seriously hip ancestry.

This first photo I want to share with you today appears to be from the mid 1910's. You see it has examples of some of the typical Edwardian formality and yet you don't yet see the practical changes that came about after the first world war (did I mention I'm a history geek?). Still, I'm inclined to say this is approaching (or even early) wartime because of the shorter skirts and lower, slightly more practical shoes, as well as the large pockets.

To be honest, a lot of my knowledge of clothing history is more British-based, and I'm still learning about the early 20th century American styles. My family was almost certainly already in North America by this time, though I don't really know who these women are. I'll have to ask my mother. :)

The thing I love about these old photos is that everybody appears to always wear hats, out of doors. The first photo is a great example of the silhouette of the Edwardian hat, while this next one shows the changes in silhouette to a more sleek cloche form. The hat material is also different, where a few of the earlier hats appear to be straw or lightweight fabric, the bottom shows a much heavier woolen-type hat.

Now this photo really makes me smile...

These ladies are posed next to a beautiful automobile (does anyone know the car make? There's a logo but I can't quite make it out...) with a 1930 license plate. In both photos, you can see that the elder women are dressed more conservatively while the younger women wear lighter colors and more modern cuts. In addition to the great cloche hats in this photo, make sure you take a peek at those shoes! I'm a sucker for 1920's cutout and t-strap shoes, and the pair on the right just makes me squirm with envy.

I've got plenty more where these come from, and I'm sure I'll be sharing them as we roll along here at Seven Magpies.